Live Review: The BellRays, The Demon Parade, Them Bruins

Them Bruins get the ball rolling tonight and a tip of the hat to them for not giving a rat's arse about the minimal attendance. Starting in fifth gear and never wavering, the foursome belt out the solid Coming Home, an up-tempo rip-snorter that leads perfectly into second belter, Shock Rockets. Each song ends with brutal feedback, a testament to how hard these boys abuse their gear. In the half hour that they play, the band manage to cram nine tracks in, each with slamming beats intended to get the hairs on one's neck to stand up and the nostrils on one's face to flap. High energy, in your face and a lot of fun.

The Demon Parade take to the stage with the unenviable task of following the first act's primal purging, but luckily for them the dissimilarities between the two bands mean no comparisons need be made. Looking like he's just arrived off the boat from Manchester, lead vocalist Michael Badger leans into the mic, eyes half shut as he strums chords that sound grafted from 1960s San Francisco. There's no avoiding the fact that second track Was I Supposed To Know sounds like The Dandy Warhols' Boys Better and as the set continues so too the comparisons, with the chorus of Hey Matilda bringing to mind Craig McLachlan's Mona. Similarities aside, the band perform tightly, with rock'n'roll histrionics in the form of Badger's Van Halen-esque scissor-jump off a combo amp ending things nicely.

The BellRays have been around since the early '90s in one form or another and tonight deliver the brand of goods a group with their experience should. Vocalist Lisa Kekaula dominates the stage, afro flailing about, never yielding from her attack on the microphone. A bizarre yet bang-on blend of soul with punk, garage and rock, The BellRays smash out song after song with a level of gusto that would put many bands half their age to shame. On Top, with its raucous guitar intro courtesy of Gibson SG-toting and ever-animated Bob Vennum, lets the crowd know the band mean business.

Preaching the virtues of rock music between songs, Kekaula implores the audience to get down, in one instance paying tribute to the godfather of soul's lyricism as his line “get on up” segues into Infection, from 2008's Hard, Sweet And Sticky. Taking a breather with Good Behaviour showcases the band's bluesier side before they kick off the encore with Black Lightning.

Kekaula and co succeed in turning “tonight into Friday night”. They exit the stage with a confident and deserved swagger. Wailing vocals, Chuck Berry guitar moves, pounding drums and solid basslines: make mine a double!